


i will sing for you a song

by mindlesspineless



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: AU, High School, No Phun Intended, twenty one pilots - Freeform, tyler joseph - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 06:03:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8737603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mindlesspineless/pseuds/mindlesspineless
Summary: senior year is approaching for emily miller and her friends, tyler, josh, shaun, mark, and michael. everything seems to be changing, but not necessarily for the best. //TW// self harm, suicidal thoughts, domestic violence, death(also posted on wattpad as "prove me wrong // tyler joseph" by mindlesspineless)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> will try to stay on the schedule of posting a new chapter every saturday and wednesday

The last week of summer vacation before school starts back up again is always one full of chaos. Last minute school supply shopping, trying to cram fun with friends into every moment that you find the chance; however, this last-week-of-summer has a melancholy feel.

This is the last week of summer before my senior year of high school.

When you're young and people tell you 'Enjoy it while it lasts!' and 'Time will fly by!' you just roll your eyes and assume that they are being dramatic and miss the good old days. But now that the end of an era is coming to an end I begin to realize that all of those people weren't kidding. Here I am, seventeen-years-old, realizing at this time next year I will be preparing for my first year of college (which I still have no clue where that will be, by the way). I'm stuck in between feeling scared, lost, and small but also excited for what's to come. 

I've never really had a set 'plan' like some people do. I didn't wake up one day when I was fourteen and realize 'Hey, my life dream is to be an Oncologist and I will do whatever it takes to make my dream come true!'—No, I'm more the girl who mumbles 'I'm still figuring it out' when teachers or my parents' friends ask what I'm going to do after high school. I was never really one for sports or clubs. I'm not artistic or poetic to make up for my lack of athletic skills. I'm not fascinated by science, history or math... I'm just a kid who likes to read and watch good movies. Oh, and hang out with friends.

Told you. Nothing special.

*

"Emily," my mother shouts from the foot of the stairs, "come on down and get some breakfast!"

I sigh, rubbing my eyes and putting down my copy of The Glass Castle that I am almost finished reading. I glance over at my clock, it reads 9:17 AM.

I am the farthest from being a morning person but, knowing my mother, she'll be up here bugging me to get out of bed in a matter of ten minutes if I don't listen to her now.

I reluctantly toss my blankets off of me and sit up on the side of my bed, stretching as I analyze my reflection in the mirrored doors of my closet. My thick, blonde waves are a knotted mess but that's expected. There are light, lilac shadows under my eyes which are, annoyingly, almost always present no matter how many hours of sleep I get. Yawning, I stand up out of bed and head out of my dim bedroom towards the kitchen.

 

After descending the stair case and turning a corner, I see my mother standing at the end of the counter-island. She's peering into the living room to watch some morning talk show as she sips coffee from a red mug. I'm immediately glad I came downstairs because I not only see, but also smell, that my mother made my favorite breakfast: biscuits and gravy.

"Oh, good morning, sweetie! Looks like you snuck up on me," My mother smiles, placing her mug on the counter and walking over to grab me a plate. "I made some extra coffee for you so grab yourself a cup and I'll dish you up some food," she practically sings, her pastel yellow V-neck matching the sunshine in her voice.

I have never understood how anybody, my mother included, can be a morning person.I'm not saying I hate mornings, I just prefer to take my time to wake up and relax with a good book before jumping out of bed to twirl around and hum with the blue birds. I pour myself a cup of coffee and take a seat on a bar stool in front of the plate full of biscuit-and-gravy-goodness my mother so thoughtfully prepared for me"

"Soo?" My mother chimes, taking a seat next to me. "How does it feel to know that your senior year of high school begins a week from today?" She is much more of a talker, along with being a morning person, where as I am more like my dad. We would prefer to sleep in and don't feel the need to fill the air with conversation at any point of silence.

"It's... weird, I guess," I murmur. "I mean; I don't want summer to end because that means waking up at six for school every day but I'm also excited for all of the senior year stuff."

Seniors at the school I go to, Worthington High School, get a few, small 'senior year perks' such as the closest parking spots to the building. Of course there's also your typical senior-year-type excitement to look forward to like Senior Skip Day, Senior Trip, Senior Prank, and Prom. While I'm not exactly the chocked-full-of-school-spirit-at-a-pep-rally type, I still enjoy going to school dances and sports events here and there. I definitely look forward to taking part in all of the 'Senior' exclusives that the school year will bring.

"I can't believe my youngest baby is almost done with high school," my mother exhales as she lays her head on my shoulder. I, being a teenage daughter, groan her name and shrug her off of me all while smiling and laughing at her sensitivity to absolutely everything. "Haley has been at Penn State four years now... You girls need to quit growing up, you're making me feel old!" She teases, placing her hands on either side of her face like the kid in Home Alone.

Haley is my older sister. She's four years older than me and goes to, you guessed it, Pennsylvania State University. She's a brainiac and looking to get her Master's in Geochemistry or some sciencey-shit. She pretty much has her schooling paid for, thanks to scholarships, at Penn State which just so happened to be her dream school where she will be working towards her dream career. Man, I wish I had some of those.

 

*

After finishing breakfast and helping my mom clean up the kitchen, I return to my bedroom to freshen up for the day. After a long shower I sit on my bedroom floor in front of my mirror/closet and blow dry my hair—all while blasting the Hannah Montana Pandora station. There's no better way to put you in a good mood than to sing along to all your favorite songs from your young, awkward years.

 

Just as I finish drying my hair, I pull on some jean shorts and a home-made tie dye tank top. I hear my phone buzz which means I got a text. I pick up my phone from where I had tossed it on my bed.

Josh: whats up?

I roll my eyes and smile. Typical.

I reply.

Me: About to hang out with you, I'm guessing

Josh: emily rose miller, you read my mind! come next door. everyones here.

Josh is one of my best friends from childhood and has been ever since. The 'everyone' he referred to is the burping, joking, pile of puppies (aka teenage boys) that I've somehow managed to spend almost every day of my summer with, yet again. I wouldn't call myself a 'tom boy' by any means but I'm convinced that the jumble of boys that I call my best friends believe that I am one of the guys. Don't get me wrong, I have female friends. Right behind the day care dorks I've grown up with I have two close girl friends: Becca and Taylor. They spend every summer vacation either at soccer practices and games or on various vacations that their (to be blatantly honest, filthy rich) families take them on.

 

Which leaves me every summer with Josh, Mark, Shaun, Michael, and Tyler.

I'm not complaining, though. Like I said before, they've been my best friends for as long as I can remember. They're just such... boys.

Sure enough I open my bedroom window and am greeted by the sight of six teenage boys in the back yard next door, scrambling around for a basketball underneath a hoop.

After a quick attempt to pull a brush through my hair and slapping on a thin coat of mascara, I pull of some Birkenstock sandals and head downstairs.

"Mooom! I'm going next door!" I shout loud enough for her to hear me, wherever she is in the house, as I head towards the back door.

"Okay, hon! Text me if you go anywhere else! Love you!" I hear my mom faintly shout, sounding like she's in the laundry room.

Shutting the glass door behind me, I make my way across my backyard. When I reach the fence that joins our yard and the neighbor's, I stop and laugh when I see that my friends are currently arguing over somebody making a foul against somebody else and how that first someone keeps denying it. They're so annoying when it comes to a simple game of backyard basketball that has so significance what so ever. 

As I do nearly every day it seems, I hoist myself over the white fence that is as high as my chest and stick the landing on the opposite side.

I don't even bother to interrupt the intense 3-on-3 basketball game and decide to just take a seat at the swing set I always envied as a little girl. I watch the game in amusement while scrolling through Twitter and Instagram on my phone. Becca Snap Chats me a picture of her and her mom sun bathing on some beach in Florida and I feel so jealous. I Snap back a short video of Mark whining that his basket was a three-pointer and type the caption "Every. Damn. Day..."

About twenty minutes later, the Skins team of Josh, Mark, and Michael are complaining about how they only lost because Tyler, Shaun, and Tyler's fifteen-year-old brother Zack are all on the basketball team at school.

"Hey! Y'all were the ones who suggested you could beat us despite the fact we're on the team. So stop acting all surprised that we're not only champions in Worthington red and gold, but also in backyard buckets!" Shaun gloats as he, along with Tyler and Zack, dust off their shoulders in triumph.

And so the banter between the six sweaty, sun-tanned teenage boys continued. Finally, sick of their arguing over a dumb game, I offered to buy everyone slushies if they would all just shut up. That did the trick. Seconds later the Skins team was pulling on their shirts and everyone was rushing to two different cars since our miniature mob consisted of too many to squeeze in one.

I ended up in the back seat of Shaun's car next to Tyler, Josh sitting up front with Shaun. Mark, Michael, and Zack piled into Michael's truck and took off while we were still getting buckled up.

"I don't know what the big rush is," I laugh, securing my seat belt and trying not to burn my hand on the scorching hot metal buckle that had been soaking in the summer sun. "They're going to have to wait for us to get there if they're expecting me to pay, anyways."

"Alright, Miss Money Bags, we get it! You're loaded and doing a good deed by buying all of us peasants some sugary, neon slush," the always sassy Tyler Joseph next to me exclaims, pretending to bow down to me and cry out of gratitude.

"You know, I can just buy everyone slushies except for you," I tease back, crossing my arms over my chest and sticking my nose in the air.

"You know you're going to buy me a slushie one way or another. You can't go back on your word, Emily Rose." Tyler spat back, followed by a puppy dog smile and him batting his eyes. This makes me laugh, which then causes Tyler to laugh. 

Tyler Joseph has one of those laughs that is contagious and can make anybody laugh even if the initial joke wasn't funny at all. He always seemed to radiate happiness and goofy confidence. 

Tyler's house is the one next door that the NBA-level basketball game took place at. I've lived next door to him for as long as I can remember. I would say that he is my very closest and best friend because of this. Many years have been spent in his back yard either playing basketball or climbing all over the swing set along with hot summer days spent together in my pool.

I've been friends with all of the guys since pre-school, but none of them have ever been as close to me or each other as Tyler and me. Mark and Michael both live about a seven-minute drive away while Shaun and Josh live in the same neighborhood as us, just a couple streets down in each direction.

"Well, let's just hope I have enough money for your Cherry Coke slushie because Miss Money Bags isn't as loaded as you think," I say to Tyler as I turn my attention from him to the passing scenery outside of my car window. "I haven't babysat in a while so you might not make the cut." I smile, turning back to him and elbowing him in the side. He fakes a pout as he grabs his side and then leans forward between Shaun and Josh, demanding that they turn up the old Enrique Iglesias song that's playing on the radio. 

He, along with the rest of the car load, dramatically sings along as the wind and warmth whips through the open windows and our hair.

***

Hey everyone! Hope you guys have a good feel of our main character, Emily, and her childhood friends! How do you like it so far?

I'm new to this but I will update ASAP.

Love you all. |-/


	2. Chapter 2

It turns out I did, in fact, have enough money to buy everybody's slushies. My blue raspberry slushie turned my tongue a bright blue, along with tinting my lips a pale blue. Tyler and I joked about how his brown-red tongue looked disgusting. Shaun and Michael joked about their red and blue tongues and how they should 'mix colors to make purple'.

Yep. Teenage boys. Gotta love their sense of humor.

We all decided to head back to my house and go for a swim since it was nearly 100⁰ outside. All of the guys either already had on their swim trunks or had brought them to Tyler's house and just had to run inside to change. While some of the others were already cannon ball-ing into the pool, I quickly ran upstairs to change into a black and white striped bikini. I then threw my hair into a messy bun and grabbed some towels for everybody from the hall closet.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to find Tyler chatting with my mom and helping her put away the clean dishes she was retrieving from the dishwasher.

My mom has loved Tyler ever since we were little. He's always been so friendly to my parents and is always quick to offer to help clean up when the storm of teenage boys destroys everything in its path.

 As I walk up behind them I hear my mother asking Tyler about college next year.

"Yeah, I'm really hoping for a basketball scholarship," Tyler smiles, taking a pan from my mother and putting it in a cupboard that is too high for her to reach. "I'm not really aiming for anywhere in particular, just wherever offers me good money I guess! If anywhere does." He laughs softly at the last sentence and looks down.

I open the fridge to grab a Coke and both my mom and Tyler turn around at the sound of the door. "Tyler, do you want a soda or anything?" I ask, actually enjoying the cold air from the open refrigerator in contrast to the scorching temperature outside. 

"You guys have any Red Bull?" He smiles widely with no teeth and his eyes crinkle at the corners.

"Dude, chill. You just had a million grams of sugar in that slushie. Are you trying to literally bounce off of the walls?" I say, hand on my hip. Tyler crosses his arms and replies, "You're having a Coke! That's not much better ya' hypocrite!" He mocks me and puts his hand on his hip also.

"Okay you've got me there, but you gotta keep your figure for basketball, Mr. Allstar," I point out, wrapping my arm up and around his shoulders and leading him outside, all while shaking my head and using my best mother voice.

"Okay, mom," he chuckles once we reach the pool.

I set down the towels and my soda and walk over to the deep end of the pool. Mark, Michael and Shaun were trying to see who could jump or flip into the pool in the most unique way which was pretty entertaining to watch. Zack had stayed at Tyler's to play basketball with some friends that were his age. Josh was stretched out on a lawn chair sun bathing, some of his thick, dark, curly locks sticking to his forehead. 

It's not on me if he has a heat stroke, I think to myself, laughing.

Tyler sits down on the ledge of the pool with his feet in the water and I join him.

"Crazy, isn't it?" He says quietly, watching his feet kick in the water.

"What is?" I ask, smiling and nudging him with my shoulder.

"I don't know. Just how we've done crap like this all summer and didn't think twice about it and now, suddenly, it makes me feel sad," he explains, examining his palms as if there were something new about them. "Just the fact that a year from now, who knows where we will all be, what we'll be doing, who we'll be with..." he trails off, looking over to me. The usually bubbly boy looks truly bummed out which is bumming me out in return.

"Hey now, don't go all 'Touching Teen Movie' on me now, Ty." I joke with him.

He laughs, realizing how cheesy he sounds. "I know, I know. It's all true though! You see those movies and laugh at how mushy they are but now we're actually in that position and what they've been saying all of these years is making sense."

I feel the same way that Tyler does, I just haven't really found the right way to say it like he just did. I don't want to waste the last week of the last summer of high school being sad about it, though. There's no point in dwelling on the 'what if's' and possibilities of the next summer when we can be enjoying the here and now. Just as I'm about to try and explain this to Tyler, he leans over and rests his chin on my shoulder. "Hey Em," he says sweetly.

This makes me smile. He's such a fluffy little puppy that you just want to pat on the head. "Yes?" I question.

He takes a breath like he is about to say something and then, to my surprise, wraps his arms around me and yanks us both down into the chlorinated water.

My nose fills with water and stings since I was not prepared to be flung into the pool so quickly. I open my eyes and see Tyler underwater in front of me, smiling his big goofy smile that almost never leaves. I jokingly flip him off and he acts overly offended then rises to the surface for air. I do the same.

I shake my head at him and splash him, earning an even bigger splash in return. Then, we all hear a yell from Josh Dun.

"IIIIINCOMINGGG!"

We all scream as we turn around and see him charging towards the pool. He flies through the air and pulls his knees to his chest. He cannonballs and there's a shockingly big splash that shakes every body up among small, pool sized waves. We're all laughing and splashing each other now.

"Well damn," Mark laughs. "I never knew so much damage could be done by Josh Dun's buns."

Cannonballs and butt jokes. I wouldn't have it any other way.

*

We swam for a few more hours, playing Marco Polo and Chicken. We took advantage of every minute we had to goof off while we still can. Afterwards, everybody agreed to go back over to Tyler's house to watch That 70's Show in his basement.

Tyler used to share a bedroom with his younger brother, Zack, but this summer his parents finally agreed to let him have a bedroom down in the basement. It was a partially finished space; there was family room sort of area with a big, old television and a comfy sectional couch. There was also a bathroom and a small 'extra room' that Tyler turned into his bedroom.

The basement was a great place to hang out and not have to worry about being too careful about messing up the 'nice upstairs furniture'. It was set with a mini fridge, a stereo, and Tyler's PlayStation Whatever... I lose track of all the different kinds.

We had all dried off and changed back into our clothes, except for Josh of course. He never really bothers to dry off all of the way whether it be after a shower or after swimming, so his hair is always still slightly dripping while his clothes stick to his damp body. It drives us all insane.

"Don't sit next to me, ya' wet dog," Michael groans as Josh goes to take a seat next to him on the couch. Being the pain in the butt that he is, Josh laughs and then shakes his hair just like a wet dog would.

This earns groans from all of us.

I end up in the corner piece of the sectional between Shaun and Tyler. I lean against the back of the couch and stretch out my legs on the scratchy yet comforting fabric when Tyler gets up to go to the bathroom. He comes back, seeing that his spot has been taken by my legs, only to rush over and flop down on top of them. 

This earns a yelp from me as I try and pull my legs out from underneath his bony butt. "Damn it, Tyler, get up," I gripe as I struggle. He rolls his head over to me with a playful look on his face, his dark brown eyes fluttering as he clears his throat.

"Ugh, fine. Tyler will you please get your bony ass off of me?" I sarcastically beg. Tyler lifts up quickly, allowing me to pull my legs out from under him. When he sits back down I stretch my legs back out across his lap, "Tickle my feet and I'll kick you in your crotch," I challenge him, squinting my eyes.

*

I don't know how long I was asleep but when I woke up, everybody was gone except for Tyler. I gaze over at him and watch his long eyelashes flutter against his cheeks due to what I can only imagine is a good dream. His right arm is propped up on a pillow and still holding up his head while his left arm is draped over my lower legs, gently holding on to my calf. I slowly stretch out my arms and rub my tired eyes. When I pull my hands away and open my eyes I see Tyler yawning. He looks over to me through squinted eyes and then gives a small smile and closes his eyes. He doesn't remove his hand from my leg.

"Where's everyone else?" He asks in a sleepy voice, eyes still closed. "Not a clue," I say back to him as I check my phone for the time, "It's 4 AM." I laugh quietly. I see a few text messages from my mother.

Mom: Assuming u r still at Tyler's . . . Txt me when u get home. Going 2 bed. Luv u.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Tyler says, now wide awake as he sits up quickly, tightening his grip on my leg. "Let's pull an all-nighter, we haven't done that in forever!"

"Tyler, we already slept to 4 AM. If we're being technical, this wouldn't even qualify as an all-nighter," I state matter-of-factly, joking of course.

Tyler and I have pulled all-nighters together numerous times throughout the years, either watching obscure Netflix movies or a string of our favorites. I see that Tyler doesn't realize I am joking and he slightly scrunches his face in disappointment.

"Although..." I smile, "I'll make a bet to you that you can't stay up until 4 AM tomorrow. And don't think about cheating and napping, I know where you live."

Tyler lifts my legs off of his lap and heads over to the mini fridge, opening it only to reveal more cans of Red Bull than one seventeen-year-old boy should be trusted with. "Well, Emily Rose, you've got yourself a bet." He grins ear to ear, tossing me a can and then cracking one open for himself.

I smile smugly at him, opening the Red Bull and taking a long sip, "You're on."

If I knew one thing about Tyler Robert Joseph, it is that he will probably let me win this bet.

***


	3. Chapter 3

Tyler and I picked a few movies to watch from his small collection of DVDs, starting with The Perks of Being a Wallflower. We both agreed that it was probably one of our favorite movies.

"Just a fair warning, I'll probably cry like a baby," I warned Tyler. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a super sensitive person but when it comes to movies, I'm very easy to tear up.

"If you cry, I'm grabbing ear plugs," Tyler said as he started the movie.

*

The movie ended and, surely enough, I was wiping away tears and laughing at Tyler for shedding a tear too.

"I only did so you wouldn't feel so bad for crying," he tried to reassure me, standing up. "I'm gonna go get another Red Bull. Want one?"

"Sure," I said, slightly shivering because it was a little chilly in Tyler's basement. "Could you grab me a blanket or something, too? I'm freezing." Tyler brought me the energy drink and then disappeared into his room. He came back out with the blue plaid comforter off of his bed overflowing out of his arms. He dropped it onto the floor in front of the couch and then tossed something soft to me.

I squealed in surprise and then look at what it actually was that Tyler threw at my head. It was his dark grey sweatshirt that he would wear all the time during colder months. I looked over to him and smiled, tugging the warm fabric over my head. The hoodie reeked of him which made me feel oddly safe. Tyler was such a naturally kind and caring person which almost made me jealous at some times. He was always putting others before himself, seemingly without a second thought. That was one of the things I loved most about him. More people could use a friend like Tyler Joseph.

Tyler started up Step Brothers, a movie he was always quoting that I had never had the patience to watch all the way through.

* 

About a dozen laughs later, mostly Tyler cracking up over a dumb joke in the movie, my mind began to wander to the conversation we had shared earlier on the side of the pool. Would the guys and I remain friends in college? Would Tyler and I remain friends in college? The thought of the answer being 'No' to either question causes me to frown. The thought of losing touch with these dorks whom I have spent a majority of my life with is sobering. I especially begin to bum out when I think about losing touch with Tyler, the boy who has been a mere forty-five seconds away my entire life. 

Tyler must sense that I'm feeling upset because he turns down the volume of the movie and turns to me, pulling the comforter away from my face. "Hey, what's up? If you're bored we can watch something else," he assures me, gesturing towards the television.

"No, it's not that," I smiled sadly, pulling my arms from underneath the warm comforter that we were sharing and plopping them down on my lap, "just thinking."

"About me? I don't blame you." Tyler sympathized, sighing in vain as he stroked his chin.

I laughed quietly which caused Tyler to realize that something was up. "Hey, what is it?"

"Just thinking... About everything you were saying earlier. About everyone leaving next year. I don't want everything to change, Tyler. I don't want to lose touch with you or any of the guys. But it'll be weird not being able to just chill and all hang out whenever we feel like," I explain, looking up from my lap and to his face, an understanding look across it.

"Well, that's growing up," Tyler explained, "and it's going to happen whether we want it to or not."

"Yeah, I'm not arguing that part, it's just..." I trailed off, furrowing my brow. "I have no clue what I want to do with the rest of my life." I had never said that out loud before. Things were just so easy with Tyler, I never felt any judgement. It was comfortable.

"You say that like any of us do," Tyler laughed, lying his head back onto the couch cushions behind us, staring up at the popcorn ceiling.

"But you do," I argued, nudging Tyler and then lying my head on his shoulder like he had earlier to me. This time, however, I did so out of a feeling of closeness instead of playfulness. "Shaun is going to Mizzou for basketball, has been since the scouts went crazy for him last year and he committed," I explained as Tyler just quietly listened to what I had to say, "Mark is going to Ohio State for whatever that tech-y B.S. he's into is, and Mike is going there too for business. Josh, as of right now, isn't going to go to school but at least that's a plan he's decided on! And you, you're going for a basketball scholarship-- which leaves me, undecided, unmotivated, and unready." 

Tyler was quiet for a moment and exhaled, my head still resting on his bony yet comforting shoulder. 

"Em, you may feel alone but you're not," Tyler began, wrapping his arm around to place his hand on the back of my head, "yeah, I'm going for the basketball scholarship but I don't know where! And even when I do decide where I'll be going, that doesn't solve my problem. It's not like I'm aiming for the NBA... I mean, I'm a scrawny, 5'10" kid from Ohio—not exactly something to fight over." I had never really looked at it the way Tyler had just put it. Sure, he loved basketball: he always had. I had just always pictured Tyler being some basketball star in college but never thought past that.

"But..." I began, feeling oh so small next to Tyler, which is saying something considering he isn't the biggest person, himself. "But what if things are never the same, again?"

"Hey, no matter how many miles may separate us, you'll always be my best friend," Tyler said into my hair so quietly that it was almost a whisper.

We were both quiet for a minute, Tyler softly rubbing the back of my head.

"Well, Joseph, let's just agree that we'll both be bums and live in a cardboard box together," I smiled, looking up to Tyler's face.

In return he shot me a big, crooked-toothed smile, "I like the way you think, Miller. Aim low. Now no matter what we become, at least we can say we've become someone."

***


End file.
